Telling the difference between a machine pistol and a compact SMG

[Mazryonh]

Originally Posted by AdAstra2009

Well going by the dictionary definition an smg is just a machinegun that fires pistol type rounds.

Unless the wiki is going to lump the machine pistol and SMG categories together, I believe a definition like mine would do well to settle the grey areas between the two. And the "machine gun" definition is a bit outdated by those unfamiliar with firearms. It used to mean any firearm that was capable of fully-automatic fire or was select-fire. Now that term should stick with the infantry support weapon class or a vehicle-mounted fully-automatic firing weapon.

[AdAstra2009]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

And the "machine gun" definition is a bit outdated by those unfamiliar with firearms. It used to mean any firearm that was capable of fully-automatic fire or was select-fire. Now that term should stick with the infantry support weapon class or a vehicle-mounted fully-automatic firing weapon.

I don't think that's the case. The term machine gun has simply evolved to have two meanings.

[Mazryonh]

Originally Posted by AdAstra2009

I don't think that's the case. The term machine gun has simply evolved to have two meanings.

And one of them has sadly been over-inflated and given negative connotations. I much prefer the more accurate term "fully-automatic firing weapon" because any slug-throwing weapon can be made to fire in a fully-automatic fashion, but not every fully-automatic weapon can fill the role of a Light/Medium/Heavy machine gun.

If there are no more forthcoming objections, I believe I'll be posting this guide to the SMG and Machine Pistol talk pages soon.

[AdAstra2009]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

If there are no more forthcoming objections, I believe I'll be posting this guide to the SMG and Machine Pistol talk pages soon.

Personally I think this guide is kind of arbitrary imho

[Mazryonh]

Originally Posted by AdAstra2009

Personally I think this guide is kind of arbitrary imho

Pardon me, where was I being arbitrary? I thought I clearly explained my reasoning.

[AdAstra2009]

Your creating a definition for a submachine gun that goes further then the dictionary meaning, or then what most people would consider a smg. That is arbitrary.

[Mazryonh]

Originally Posted by AdAstra2009

Your creating a definition for a submachine gun that goes further then the dictionary meaning, or then what most people would consider a smg. That is arbitrary.

I based it on the fact that the archetypal machine pistol is a handgun converted for select-fire and/or fully-automatic fire capability. That is what separates a machine pistol from other types of handguns--the ergonomics could be exactly the same (i.e., such as when you compare a Glock 18 to a Glock 17) as a similar semiautomatic-only handgun, but select-fire and/or fully-automatic fire capability would be what separate the two.